Page 49 of A Trial By Blood

And the whole time, Rose was with me, her beautiful face filling my head.

Mine, roared through me.

She was mine.

CHAPTER 16

Rose

Iris plonked down on the couch beside me as Willow walked in from the kitchen, carrying a mug of coffee. Magnolia sat in the chair opposite us, and she was staring out the window toward Bram’s treehouse.

“Where’s Bram today?” Iris asked, not missing the look on our baby sister’s face.

“He had to work.” She turned back to us. “He left last night and will probably be gone a couple days.”

Wills tucked her legs up on the couch. “So what does he actually do? I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a straight answer out of him about it.”

Mags sat back in her chair. “Security of some kind, but he won’t even go into details with me.” It was obvious that this was a sore point between them. “Whatever he’s doing, I think it’s dangerous, even though he says it’s not. He comes back with bruises and cuts sometimes. And he’s all quiet and broody for a couple days. He said he isn’t allowed to talk about it. I don’t know who he’s working for, but I assume it’s someone important.” She chewed her thumbnail and looked back out the window.

This was hurting her. Mags and Bram told each other everything. Being left out of such a big part of his life wasn’t sitting well with my baby sister, and I didn’t blame her.

“I’m sure he’d tell you if he could,” I said.

She shrugged. “I’m not so sure. He’s been…different ever since Willow’s trial, since the battle in the cemetery. Things between us have been…strained.”

It probably had something to do with the way Bram felt about Mags, and that, as far as we could tell, she had only ever seen him as her best friend. Mags was still working through that awful day in the cemetery and what led up to it. We’d almost lost her during that time, and as a result, she’d changed irrevocably. She was still struggling with it all. I’d tried to get her to open up to me, but she refused, keeping it all bottled up inside.

Magnolia was full of rage and didn’t know what to do with it, which meant she often directed it at the wrong people.

“I’m sure you two can figure it out. You and Bram have always been inseparable. If you tell him how you’re feeling—”

“I have.” Her gaze flicked back to us, but she didn’t elaborate. “How’s Ren?” she asked Wills, changing the subject. “He’s answered a couple of my texts, but he’s still keeping me and Bram at arm’s length.” Ren, Bram, and Mags were all close in age. They’d always hung out together. Yes, he was Willow’s familiar, but he was also one of their best friends.

Wills sipped her coffee. “I spent time with him last night. He came by the clubhouse, we made dinner together and he hung out with Warrick and some of the other hounds.” She smiled, but there was pain there. “He’s struggling, but at least now he’s letting me be there for him. He won’t talk about what happened, but he’s trying.”

“That’s a massive improvement,” Iris said.

“It is,” Wills said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get him back with all of us soon. Hanging with the family again.”

We all wanted that.

“How about you, Roe?” Wills asked. “Relic mentioned what happened yesterday. So you know what your task is?”

“I think so.” We weren’t allowed help from our families or coven, but we could talk about it. “The robberies, the missing demon artifacts? I’m almost positive it has something to do with that.”

Willow sat forward. “Really? Well, shit. Have you told Mom?”

“No, and I’m not going to. Well, for as long as I can get away with it, anyway. She’s still so worried about me, but honestly, I’ve never felt so strong. Nothing I say will convince her otherwise, though.”

She sipped her coffee. “You know, I haven’t turned Trotman’s offer down yet, to investigate those robberies…what if I don’t?”

“Wills, you can’t help me.”

“I know, and I won’t, but the last thing you need, is whoever the council has investigating the case now, in your way while you’re figuring this all out. If I agree, Trotman will call them off, and it won’t be an issue.”

That’s exactly what he’d do if he thought Willow was on the case. The council might not exactly love coven Thornheart, but they knew what a valuable asset Willow could be to them. They’d been trying to get her on their payroll since her trial two years ago. She was the best, and they all knew it as well. “Won’t the mother see that as you helping me?”

“Trotman called me before I knew anything about your task. I can accept, I just won’t do anything about it.” She gave my hand a squeeze. “Leave it with me.”